Oblivion
by ShiTiger
Summary: A very dark fic.  Ushio tries to wake Tora from a nightmare.  Tiny bit of yaoi hint to it.  Very angst by the end, character death warning.


Disclaimer: I do not own Ushio and Tora. This is a shounen ai/yaoi angst fic.

  


  


Oblivion

  


  


Darkness. Inky black dripped down the walls, cascading over the two sleeping bodies. The silent presence of the night brought no response from the sleepers. 

  


Ushio blinked as he suddenly became aware of the low growling coming from the other side of his mat. He wasn't afraid, not now. Instead, he turned bravely to greet the still sleeping figure resting nearby. Tora. The tiger demon lord who had become a partner to him over the last few years, almost a friend. The teenager furrowed his eyebrows at the realization of the nightmare that seemed to have gripped the youkai with it's talons. He could practically feel the demon's restlessness as he tossed and turned on the cold blackened floor. 

  


Standing quietly, he edged his way closer to his partner. Then with a gentle hand, he reached down to touch the monster's shoulder in an attempt to wake him. But neither him nor the youkai would have guessed the future of his kind action. In his trance, the demon rolled and shot out a single clawed hand at an invisible attacker. The slight gasp from the boy and the sound of a knife slipping through flesh then catching on bone didn't rouse the sleeper. And so, the demon finally caught the hunter, though unintentionally. 

  


~*~

  


Blood. Splattered across the cold wooden floor like beautiful red paint. Strangely enough, there was no pain. Not for me. It was more of a comfort, being able to feel the warmth of my own body and essence on my burning fingertips. The sharp scent of salt and copper, mixed with the illusion that surrounded me. In a dreamlike haze, I think I pulled off the razor sharp claw, ignoring the thunderlike sound of tearing flesh. And yet, the searing liquid refused to slow, continuing out of my body in glistening spurts. I held my stomach as my lifefluid drained from my very being. It was as if life was ripping itself away, replacing its warming comfort with a dark and empty promise. There was no pain, just an oblique shadow that seemed to enfold me in its embrace. 

  


The accurate colors and shapes in the nightswept room began to fade, merging together in an elaborate portrait. Hazy colors speckle this private sanctuary, singing their melody of a coming dawn. A dawn I would never see with my own eyes. Or, would I? Wrapping a single arm around the inflamed flesh of my wound, I stumbled to my suddenly weary legs. Every step I took seemed to numb the pain that had rapidly appeared. I reached out, my bloody fingers grasping for the icy windowledge. Everything was spinning, the window itself splitting in two, then three as I made my way closer. 

  


As if personally wishing to halt my soul in its quest, a loose board swiped at my bare feet, hurling me to the lifeless ground. I could feel it now. The pain pulsing through my body like a living flame. The warmth in my blood no longer comforting me, for it too began to grow cold. I found myself unable to move, frozen in a pool of life that was slowly dying. My nearly exhausted eyes fixated themselves on the peacefully sleeping form that now seemed quite a distance away. A rational piece of my mind fought the dizziness, struggling to educate me in the truth. It said that I'm dying. What do I say in return? A soul cannot truly die if it has not truly lived. There are so many things I have yet to experience. I can't die and I won't. 

  


Strands of red hair flowing over the ground remind me that our battle has not yet begun. It cannot end like this. How I wish I could see those icy globes piercing into my soul, just one last time. Is that a hint of light gracing his fur? My head refuses to turn, my body no longer responding to my thoughts. It's as if I was becoming part of the frozen dream that encircled me. The pain had nearly faded completely, being replaced instead by a slightly warm, fuzzy feeling. The buzzing in my ears dropped to a whisper of the bleak future. I could not fight anymore. I felt so tired and drained. My eyes drifted closed, my lips parting in a final breath. The last thing I remember before I faded into oblivion is the realization of how beautiful my companion was when bathed gently in pools of light. I was wrong. The sunrise beat me, even now.

  


~*~

  


Whispers of sunlight drifted through the open window, twirling around the monster's still form. A single breath indicated the awakening of the youkai. Two glowing white eyes blinked as the light hit them. After a few moments they were able to focus on the opposite wall, leaving the youkai half asleep, but now more awake than he had been. A growing scent tickled at his nose, reminding him of his violent past. A single clawed hand moved to brush back a stray lock of orange hair, before being lowered. The glowing globes blinked at the dripping red liquid that was slowly drying on his hand, his claws flexing against the feeling. In an almost horrified motion, the youkai's eyes traced the crimson path to a still figure lying near the windowsill, one hand outstretched towards it. Clawed feet rustled as the monster made his way towards the all too silent human body. Without looking, Tora already knew the answer to one of the questions in his mind. But, what he wanted to know now was, A slightly shaking talon gripped the boy's shirt and tugged him onto his side. 

  


A violent pained cry echoed the house with a demon's fury. Bloodied hands traced over the tiny body that was quickly growing colder. A memory still hazy from the dream seemed to inch it's way into the youkai's mind. An invisible enemy. A slash of light. The scent of sweet blood and power encasing him. Tora now understood the truth behind the illusion. Ushio, his partner, his enemy, his friend, his meal, HIS soul. The Ushio who became all those things and yet still managed to capture his heart was dead. The boy who once beamed with life was now laying cold and still on the floor. No longer happy, no longer sad. Gone. The soul that had attracted the youkai from the first moment they had met was now gone. For the first time since he'd been changed into a demon, Tora cried.

  


  


...the end...

  


Author's note: Review! I wrote this one a long time ago. Let me know what you thought of it. Yes, shounen ai/yaoi.


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